This invention relates to apparatus employed in gel slab electrophoresis. In particular, this invention relates to a device for holding together a sandwich-type gel slab plate assembly.
Gel electrophoresis is a widely used and highly effective technique for separating complex mixtures of chemical species. While the gels used in different types of electrophoresis apparatus may vary in shape, a common gel configuration is that of a thin flat slab. Gel slabs offer many advantages, including ease of evaluation by various quantitative techniques, ease of drying and printing by autoradiography and other contact print methods, a geometry which permits improved heat dissipation and thus the opportunity for high voltage gradients, and the ability to perform simultaneous separations on a number of samples.
In many applications, the slab is most conveniently cast in a sandwich-type arrangement between two flat glass plates. Clear glass plates permit monitoring of the gel-forming solution as it is injected into the space between the plates, as well as monitoring of the finished slab and other adjacent portions of the entire apparatus while electrophoreis is taking place. The separation between the plate is typically maintained by spacer strips along the opposing vertical side edges. The entire assembly is held together by a clamp at each vertical edge. While the pressure exerted by the clamps must be tight enough to insure a seal, it is frequently difficult to provide a pressure which is sufficiently even and controllable to reduce the danger of breakage of the glass.
Prior art efforts known to the inventors which have addressed the same or related problems, consists of U.S. Pat. No. 4,518,476 (1985) to Delony entitled End Clamp for Gel Slab Plate Assembly; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,459 (1985) to Hoefer, entitled Vertical Gel Sandwich for use in electrophoresis and method therefor. The prior art as represented by the above, does not offer the convenience and safety that our invention, as set forth below, does.